BIOLOGY MAJOR TRACKS

A biology major may choose one of four optional tracks within the major if the student's interests lie primarily within one of these subfields of biology. A track provides strong training for graduate study in its subfield. All tracks require completion of the biology major requirements as stated above but provide concentrated study in one of the four fields.

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION TRACK

Core Requirements
(bold type indicates core courses not required by the generic biology major)

Advanced Laboratory Requirement
One of the following:

Biol 4193 Experimental Ecology Laboratory
Biol 437 Lab on DNA manipulation
Biol 4342 Research explorations in Genomics

Advanced Evolution and Ecology Electives
Students whose main interest is ecology should take at least two ecology electives and one evolution elective; students whose main interest is evolution should take at least two evolution electives and one ecology elective.

Outside Elective Courses

Biology Major Areas A & B Electives
Students should select one course each from biology major areas A and B according to personal interests.

GENOMICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY TRACK

Core Requirements
(bold type indicates core courses not required by the generic biology major)

Advanced Laboratory Requirement
One of the following:

Biol 3492 Laboratory Experiments with Eukaryotic Microbes
Biol 4342 Research Explorations in Genomics
Biol 437 Laboratory on DNA Manipulation

Recommended Advanced Biology Electives

Biol 334 Cell Biology (major area A)
Biol 349/1 Microbiology with Microbiology Laboratory (major area A)
Biol 437 Lab on DNA Manipulation
Biol 4181 Population Genetics and Microevolution (major area C)
Biol 4183 Molecular Evolution (major area C)
Biol 4202 Evolutionary Genetics (major area C)
Biol 4810 General Biochemistry I (major area A)

Biology Major Areas A, B & C Electives
Students should select one course each from biology major areas A, B and C according to personal interests (see recommended advanced biology electives above).

Outside Elective Courses

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY TRACK

Core Requirements
(bold type indicates core courses not required by the generic biology major)

*Students planning to enter Ph.D. programs in biochemistry should note that many such programs require physical chemistry (Chem 401 & 402; prerequisite Math 233)

Advanced Biology Requirement
One of the following:

Biol 334 Cell Biology
Biol 3371 or 337W Eukaryotic Genomes
Biol 349 Microbiology

Advanced Laboratory Requirement
One of the following:

Biol 3491 Microbiology Laboratory
Biol 3492 Laboratory Experiments with Eukaryotic Microbes
Biol 4342 Research Explorations in Genomics
Biol 437 Laboratory of DNA Manipulation
Biol 4520 Protein Function in Model Cellular Systems
Biol 4522 Laboratory in Protein Biochemistry

Recommended Advanced Biology Electives

Biol 3041 Plant Bio & Genetic Engineering
Biol 4023 How Plants Work (major area B)
Biol 4071 Developmental Biology (major area B)
Biol 5312 Macromolecular Interactions
Biol 3491 Microbiology Laboratory
Biol 4183 Molecular Evolution (major area C)

Biology Major Areas B & C Electives
Students should select one course each from biology major areas B and C according to personal interests (see recommended advanced biology electives above).

*Students planning to enter Ph.D. programs in biochemistry should note that many such programs require physical chemistry (Chem 401 & 402; prerequisite Math 233)

NEUROSCIENCE TRACK

Core Requirements
(bold type indicates core courses not required by the generic biology major)

Advanced Laboratory Requirement
Choose one of the following:

Biol 404 Laboratory of Neurophysiology
Biol 360 Biophysics Laboratory**

  **Biophysics Lab may count as either the Advanced Laboratory Requirement or the Outside Elective Course but not for both requirements.

Advanced Biology Requirements
Choose one in each area:

Advanced Biology Elective
Select at least one of the following:

Biol 3110 Vertebrate Structure Laboratory
Biol 3151 Endocrinology
B iol 328 Principles in Human Physiology
Biol 3371 Eukaryotic Genomes
Biol 3421 Introduction to Neuroethology
Biol 3422 Genes, Brains and Behavior
Biol 4031 Biological Clocks
Biol 437 Laboratory on DNA Manipulation
Biol 4580 Human Anatomy and Development

Outside Elective Courses
Select at least one Psychology or Physics course from the following list

**Biophysics Lab may count as either the Advanced Laboratory Requirement or the Outside Elective Course but not for both requirements.

Admission To The Neuroscience Track

Students with an interest in Neuroscience are encouraged to apply for admission to the Neuroscience Track. Contact Erin Gerrity (gerrity@biology2.wustl.edu) to complete the application. Those applicants with a current Washington University GPA of 3.5 or better after a minimum of 3 semesters are considered for admission to the Neuroscience Track. For each graduating class, decisions about applicants begin in February of sophomore year; decisions are based upon the student's academic record and upon an interview with a major advisor.

Applications from the Graduating Class of 2016 are now being accepted. Interviews and decisions about admission to the Neuroscience Track for students in this graduating class will begin in February 2014.

Applications from the Graduating Classes of 2014 and 2015 are now being accepted on a waiting list. Applicants from the waiting list will be interviewed when space becomes available.

A student who successfully completes Biology 360, the Biophysics Laboratory, with a C- or better can use Bio 360 to satisfy the Advanced Laboratory Requirement of the Neuroscience Track of the Biology Major. The student is encouraged (but not required) to complete both the electrophysiology and the human bioelectricity experiments. For those students wishing to use this option: applications for the Neuroscience Track will be accepted from students only after the successful completion of Biology 360 with C- or better. Enrollment in Bio 360 is via WebStac and is limited to 10 students.